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NASCAR's Tony Stewart hits, kills driver

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Authorities are investigating, but no charges have been filed in the case

Race team: Stewart won't be in the next Sprint Cup race, but he may return

The announcement comes the same day as Ward's funeral in New York state

The same day the man he fatally struck was laid to rest, NASCAR driver Tony Stewart's team announced that he won't be racing this weekend -- though it didn't rule a return to the track soon thereafter.

In a brief statement, Stewart-Haas Racing said Thursday that Stewart "has decided not to compete" in Sunday's race in NASCAR's top division, the Sprint Cup Series.

Jeff Burton will take his place in the No. 14 car in the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

"The driver change pertains only to Michigan," the Stewart-Haas Racing team said. "Stewart's plans for upcoming Sprint Cup races have yet to be determined."

Stewart's future outside the track is also in question, as authorities investigate the death of fellow driver Kevin Ward Jr. at an August 9 Empire Super Sprints series dirt-track race in upstate New York.

Video from the Canandaigua Motorsports Park race shows two cars coming out of a turn, with Stewart's No. 14 car sliding up the track toward Ward's No. 13 car. The two cars get close and appear to make contact before Ward's car hits the wall and spins out.

Racer Tony Stewart 13 photos

Racer Tony Stewart13 photos

Racer Tony Stewart – Driver Tony Stewart looks on in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International on Friday, August 8, in Watkins Glen, New York. Stewart is a three-time champion in NASCAR's top division and also won a sprint car championship in 1995.

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Racer Tony Stewart13 photos

Racer Tony Stewart – Stewart signs autographs for fans during a practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 11 in Loudon, New Hampshire.

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Racer Tony Stewart – Stewart gets out of his car after an incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 6 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

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Racer Tony Stewart – Danica Patrick and Stewart ride down pit road before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 15 in Brooklyn, Michigan.

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Racer Tony Stewart – Stewart poses with a rifle given as a pole award after qualifying for pole position for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 5 in Fort Worth, Texas.

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Racer Tony Stewart – Stewart in the pit during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 23 in Daytona Beach, Florida

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Racer Tony Stewart – Driver Ryan Newman talks with team owner and injured driver Tony Stewart, on crutches, in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on September 28, 2013, in Dover, Delaware. Stewart broke his leg on August 5, 2013, during a race at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

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Racer Tony Stewart13 photos

Racer Tony Stewart – Personnel prepare to load Stewart into an ambulance after he was involved in a four-car wreck at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Stewart underwent successful surgery Tuesday, August 6, 2013, to repair the broken right tibia and fibula suffered in the wreck.

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Racer Tony Stewart – Stewart shakes hands with Gunnery Sgt. Samuel Deeds at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 28. As winner of the annual Crown Royal "Your Hero's Name Here" program, Deeds received naming rights to the July 28 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Brickyard.

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Racer Tony Stewart – Stewart sits in his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 12, 2013, in Loudon, New Hampshire.

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Racer Tony Stewart – Stewart celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway on June 2, 2013, in Dover, Delaware.

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Racer Tony Stewart – Stewart, in car 14, spins out along with Jimmie Johnson, in car 48, after an on-track incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 27, 2013, in Richmond, Virginia.

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Racer Tony Stewart – Stewart poses in the victory lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 23, 2013, in Daytona Beach, Florida.

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Ward gets out of his crashed car and walks determinedly on the track toward the race cars, which had slowed for a yellow flag. Ward points a finger and appears to be yelling. One car swerves to avoid Ward on the half-mile dirt track.

Stewart's car passes close to Ward, and it appears that its right rear tire hits him.

Authorities announced two days later that 20-year-old Ward, a New York sprint car driver, had died of "massive blunt trauma."

Ontario County Sheriff Philip C. Povero said that there was no evidence at that point that a crime was committed, adding that the investigation was progressing well.

Tony Stewart did not drive Sunday in a NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International race track.

Some have speculated that Stewart -- who was interviewed after the incident -- could face charges.

Even if authorities don't press charges, one person not convinced of Stewart's innocence is Ward's father.

According to a story on Syracuse.com, Kevin Ward Sr. said that other drivers saw his son walking on the track.

"Apparently, Tony Stewart was the only one driving out there who didn't see him," the father said, according to the report.

In the same story, Kevin Ward Sr. asked the world to remember his son as a talented driver who seemingly "slept with a smile on his face."

Hundreds joined the Ward family to remember him Thursday at his funeral at South Lewis Central School.

The mourners passed a row of bouquets to get into the school, some wiping away tears as they did.

Afterward, people gathered outside to release balloons that were orange and white, Ward's racing colors. They then gave theracer one last round of applause, not because of his racing exploits but because of the young man he was.

As family friend Ray Falk recalled to CNN affiliate WSYR, "If you weren't laughing, he'd make you laugh."